The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 484
CORIOLANUS.
You should think more highly of me because I have not been
You should account me the more virtuous, that I have not been
indiscriminant in my love. I will flatter my dear friends, the
common in my love. I will, sir, flatter my sworn brother, the
people, to earn a better opinion from them: that’s what
people, to earn a dearer estimation of them; 'tis a condition
they think is noble, and since they would
they account gentle: and since the wisdom of their choice is
rather have my deference than my genuine affection, I will practice
rather to have my hat than my heart, I will practise the
kissing ass and pull it off very hypocritically. That is,
insinuating nod and be off to them most counterfeitly: that is,
I will imitate the charm of a some common man
sir, I will counterfeit the bewitchment of some popular man
and give generously to whoever wants it. Therefore, I beg you,
and give it bountifully to the desirers. Therefore, beseech you,
let me be consul.
I may be consul.
FOURTH CITIZEN.
We hope that you will be our friend, so we give you our votes
We hope to find you our friend; and therefore give you our voices
happily.
heartily.
THIRD CITIZEN.
You have received many wounds for your country.
You have received many wounds for your country.
CORIOLANUS.
I will you prove you right by showing them to you. I will use your
I will not seal your knowledge with showing them. I will make
votes well, and leave you now.
much of your voices, and so trouble you no further.
BOTH CITIZENS.
Good luck, sir!
The gods give you joy, sir, heartily!
[Exeunt citizens.]
CORIOLANUS.
What lovely votes! [sarcastic]
Most sweet voices!—
It would be better to starve to death
Better it is to die, better to starve,
than beg for a reward which I already reserve.
Than crave the hire which first we do deserve.
Why should I stand here in this crappy toga,
Why in this wolvish toge should I stand here,
to beg every Tom, Dick and Harry that bothers to show up for
To beg of Hob and Dick that do appear,
their votes, which should be unnecessary. Tradition makes me do it:
Their needless vouches? custom calls me to't:--
but should we follow every tradition?
What custom wills, in all things should we do't?
The past is old and dusty, traditions never change with the times,
The dust on antique time would lie unswept,
and if it were colossally wrong,
And mountainous error be too highly heap'd
no one would notice. Rather than act like a big fool,
For truth to o'erpeer. Rather than fool it so,
let the high office and the honor go
Let the high office and the honour go
to someone who wants to put up this nonsense. I am halfway done;
To one that would do thus.--I am half through;
I’ve endured half of these people, now I’ll do the other half.
The one part suffer'd, the other will I do.
Here come more voices.
Here come more voices.
[Re-enter other three citizens.]
Your votes! For your votes I have fought;
Your voices: for your voices I have fought;
I’ve stayed up for your votes; for your votes I have
Watch'd for your voices; for your voices bear
over two dozen wounds; I have fought 18
Of wounds two dozen odd; battles thrice six
battles for them; for your votes I have
I have seen and heard of; for your voices have
done many things, big and small. Your votes!
Done many things, some less, some more: your voices:
I want to be consul.
Indeed, I would be consul.
FIFTH CITIZEN.
He has been a noble man, and every honest man must vote for him.
He has done nobly, and cannot go without any honest man's voice.
SIXTH CITIZEN.
So let him be consul. I hope he is happy, and that he becomes a
Therefore let him be consul: the gods give him joy, and make him
good friend to the people!
good friend to the people!
ALL THREE CITIZENS.
Amen, amen. God bless you, good consul!
Amen, amen.--God save thee, noble consul!
[Exeunt.]
CORIOLANUS.
Good votes!
Worthy voices!
[Re-enter MENENIUS, with BRUTUS and SICINIUS.]
MENENIUS.
You have stood for the allotted time, and the representatives of the people
You have stood your limitation; and the tribunes
can now give you the people’s votes. All that remains
Endue you with the people's voice:--remains
for you to officially take office if for you
That, in the official marks invested, you
to go immediately to meet the Senate.
Anon do meet the senate.
CORIOLANUS.
Is that how it’s done?
Is this done?
SICINIUS.
You have completed the tradition of asking for votes.
The custom of request you have discharg'd:
The people allow you to take to office, and the Senate has been summoned
The people do admit you; and are summon'd
to meet now, in order to confirm you for the position.
To meet anon, upon your approbation.
CORIOLANUS.
Where? At the Senate house?
Where? at the senate-house?
SICINIUS.
Yes.
There, Coriolanus.
CORIOLANUS.
May I change my clothes?
May I change these garments?
SICINIUS.
You may, sir.
You may, sir.
CORIOLANUS.
Then I’ll do that right away, and once I’m back in my normal clothes
That I'll straight do; and, knowing myself again,
I’ll go straight to the Senate.
Repair to the senate-house.
MENENIUS.
I’ll keep you company. Brutus and Sicinius, will you come with us?
I'll keep you company.--Will you along?
BRUTUS.
We’ll wait here for the people.
We stay here for the people.
SICINIUS.
Good bye.
Fare you well.
[Exeunt CORIOLANUS and MENENIUS.]
He has it now, and I think he looks
He has it now; and by his looks methinks
very happy about it.
'Tis warm at his heart.
BRUTUS.
He wore those humble clothes, but he was still proud.
With a proud heart he wore his humble weeds.
Will you tell the people to leave?
Will you dismiss the people?
[Re-enter citizens.]
SICINIUS.
How is everybody? Have you chosen Coriolanus?
How now, my masters! have you chose this man?
FIRST CITIZEN.
He has our votes, sir.
He has our voices, sir.
BRUTUS.
I hope he will deserve your support.
We pray the gods he may deserve your loves.
SECOND CITIZEN.
Amen, sir. As far as I
could tell, despite my ignorance,
Amen, sir:--to my poor unworthy notice,
he was mocking us as he begged us for our votes.
He mocked us when he begg'd our voices.
THIRD CITIZEN.
Certainly.
Certainly;
He insulted us downright.
He flouted us downright.
FIRST CITIZEN.
No, that’s just how he speaks. He did not mock us.
No, 'tis his kind of speech,--he did not mock us.
SECOND CITIZEN.
Everyone one of us except you says
Not one amongst us, save yourself, but says
that he treated us with scorn. He should hve showed us
He us'd us scornfully: he should have show'd us
his scars, wounds honorably received for his country.
His marks of merit, wounds received for's country.
SICINIUS.
Why, I’m sure he did.
Why, so he did, I am sure.
CITIZENS.
No, no. Not one of us saw them.
No, no; no man saw 'em.
THIRD CITIZEN.
He said he had wounds, which he could show in private.
He said he had wounds, which he could show in private;
And, waving his hat in scorn, he said,
And with his hat, thus waving it in scorn,
“I want to be consul. But the old tradtion
'I would be consul,' says he; 'aged custom
won’t let me without your votes.
But by your voices, will not so permit me;
So give me your votes.” When we gave them,
Your voices therefore:' when we granted that,
he said, “Thank you for your votes, thank you,
Here was, 'I thank you for your voices,--thank you,--
your sweet, lovely votes. Now that you have given your votes,
Your most sweet voices:--now you have left your voices
I have no more use for you.” Wasn’t that mockery?
I have no further with you:'--was not this mockery?
SICINIUS.
Were you too ignorant to notice that he was mocking you?
Why either were you ignorant to see't?
Or, having noticed his mockery, were you so childish and friendly
Or, seeing it, of such childish friendliness
that you gave him your votes anyway?
To yield your voices?
BRUTUS.
Couldn’t you have told him
Could you not have told him,
what we told you to say? When he had no power,
As you were lesson'd,--when he had no power,
but was a low-level government employee,
But was a petty servant to the state,
he was your enemy: he always spoke against
He was your enemy; ever spake against
your liberties and the rights that you have as
Your liberties, and the charters that you bear
members of the republic. And now, when he
I' the body of the weal: and now, arriving
is becoming powerful and influential,
A place of potency and sway o' the state,
if he will continue to be an
If he should still malignantly remain
enemy to the common people, a vote for him might
Fast foe to the plebeii, your voices might
be a curse for yourself. You should have said,
Be curses to yourselves? You should have said,
that since his good actions are no more important
That as his worthy deeds did claim no less
than his nasty views in the past, he should
Than what he stood for, so his gracious nature
reward you for your votes and
Would think upon you for your voices, and
turn his former hatred towards you into love,
Translate his malice towards you into love,
and act as your friendly lord.
Standing your friendly lord.
SICINIUS.
If you had said that,
Thus to have said,
as you were told, you would have tested his spirit
As you were fore-advis'd, had touch'd his spirit
and tested his opinions, and extracted from him
And tried his inclination; from him pluck'd
either a gracious promise (which you might have been able
Either his gracious promise, which you might,
to use get a favor from him when you needed it),
As cause had call'd you up, have held him to;
or else it would have upset his arrogant nature
Or else it would have gall'd his surly nature,
(which doesn’t tolerate any condition
Which easily endures not article
that ties him down), and putting him into a rage,
Tying him to aught; so, putting him to rage,
you should have taken advantage of his anger
You should have ta'en the advantage of his choler
as a reason to leave him unelected.
And pass'd him unelected.
BRUTUS.
Did you notice how
Did you perceive
he solicited you with unrestrained contempt
He did solicit you in free contempt
when he needed something from you? And do you think
When he did need your loves; and do you think
that his contempt will not hurt you
That his contempt shall not be bruising to you
when he has the power to crush you? Did none of you
When he hath power to crush? Why, had your bodies
have any guts or sense? Or did you try to protest
No heart among you? Or had you tongues to cry
against the government?
Against the rectorship of judgment?
SICINIUS.
Have you
Have you
ever denied Coriolanus anything? And now again,
Ere now denied the asker, and now again,
even though he didn’t ask, but mocked you, you gave
Of him that did not ask but mock, bestow
him the votes he wanted?
Your su'd-for tongues?
THIRD CITIZEN.
He’s not confirmed. It’s not too late to stop him taking office.
He's not confirm'd: we may deny him yet.
SECOND CITIZEN.
And we will stop him!
And will deny him:
I’ll have five hundred people chanting that.
I'll have five hundred voices of that sound.
FIRST CITIZEN.
I’ll have a thousand more people, and their friends to join them.
I twice five hundred, and their friends to piece 'em.
BRUTUS.
Go there instantly, and tell those friends of yours that
Get you hence instantly; and tell those friends
they have chosen a consul that will take from them
They have chose a consul that will from them take
their liberties, make them as politically marginalized
Their liberties, make them of no more voice
as dogs, which are more often beaten for barking
Than dogs, that are as often beat for barking
as they are kept to bark.
As therefore kept to do so.
SICINIUS.
Have them assemble,
Let them assemble;
and, with better judgement, revoke
And, on a safer judgment, all revoke
all your ignorant votes. Provoke his pride
Your ignorant election: enforce his pride
and his old hatred of you. Besides, don’t forget
And his old hate unto you: besides, forget not
how contemptuous he was when he wore those humble clothes,
&
nbsp; With what contempt he wore the humble weed;
how he scorned you when he asked for your votes; but your affection,
How in his suit he scorn'd you: but your loves,
thinking of his service, kept you from
Thinking upon his services, took from you
perceiving his conduct at the moment,
Th' apprehension of his present portance,
which, sneeringly and without dignity, he based
Which, most gibingly, ungravely, he did fashion
on the long-established hatred he bears towards you.
After the inveterate hate he bears you.
BRUTUS.
Blame
Lay
us, your representatives, because we tried,
A fault on us, your tribunes; that we labour'd,--
without regard for any impediment in the way, to get you
No impediment between,--but that you must
to vote for him.
Cast your election on him.
SICINIUS.
Say that you chose to vote for him
Say you chose him
because we told you to, not because
More after our commandment than as guided
you really liked him; and that your minds,
By your own true affections; and that your minds,
more preoccupied with what we said you must do
Pre-occupied with what you rather must do
than with what you should have done, made you vote for him
Than what you should, made you against the grain
against your better judgment. Blame us.
To voice him consul. Lay the fault on us.
BRUTUS.
Yes, don’t let us off. Say that we lectured you
Ay, spare us not. Say we read lectures to you,
about how young he was when he began to serve his country,
How youngly he began to serve his country,
and how long he continued to do so; and about his background,
How long continued: and what stock he springs of—
the famous old Martius family, which produced
The noble house o' the Marcians; from whence came
Ancus Marcius, Numa’s [second king of Rome] grandson,